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Singapore

Singapore is a bit like the USA. It is a huge melting pot; a small country that consists 4 ethnicities under it, with everyone living in harmony. The difference between the USA is that people became and feel American there, however in Singapore, even though they are citizens of Singapore, they still consider themselves as Indians, Chinese, Arabs or Malays. When you enter a restaurant, you can find 4 different waiters from these 4 different ethniticies, working together.

Officially Singapore uses 4 languages : English, Malay, Hindu and Chinese. However, as in many other places, the uniting language is English, which more or less everybody in Singapore speaks.

Geographically small Singapore contains a lot , which took me around 3 days to see most of it. You can crawl through the different neighbourhoods of different ethnicities, making your way from the Chinatown where you can watch people playing Mahjong to Arab street where you can listen to the prayer, or to Little India where you can enjoy amazing Indian food.

Singapore is one of the most developed countries in south-asia, as well as safe, very clean and tidy. It is also one of the most expensive country in that region too, where it has huge different in prices between its upper neighbours, Malaysia and Thailand.

Food and transportation prices are pretty decent (if you know where to go), however, luxuries like drinking alcohol or smoking is extremely expensive, while a pack of cigarettes can cost around 8 euros, and a can of beer 6 euros.

Cleanliness is a topic that I have to touch in this article, while Singapore is very uptight about littering, spitting or any kind of polluting. You can have huge fines simply for sticking your chewing gum anywhere, or if you forget to flush the toilet, which is a public offense.

Singapore also has other peculiar laws, such as connecting to unsecured wi-fi connections is considered as ‘hacking’. Something you should be aware of.

Despite its peculiar laws, I have had no problems in Singapore, and travelled without any concerns (apart from money).